A West Harrison woman is suing her partner in a real estate deal to gain control of a house she claims was meant to be hers only.
Ingrid Morataya accused Gerald J. Shallo of fraud and unjust enrichment in a complaint filed on Jan. 12 in Westchester Supreme Court.
Morataya says she was Shallo’s employee, they “maintained a close intimate and confidential relationship,” and they bought the house for her to own.
But the property could not be put in her name, according to the complaint, because of her immigration status. And she was not eligible for a mortgage “because she lacked papers.”
Instead, the property was titled in the name of 183 Lincoln Avenue LLC, of Armonk, based on the house’s address in the Silver Lake neighborhood of West Harrison.
Shallo loaned $444,000 to the company, according to the lawsuit, and the company bought the house for $435,000 in April 2014.
Now online real estate marketplaces value it from $888,000 to $979,000.
Morataya claims she contributed $20,000 to the down payment, pays $3,650 a month for the loan and pays for water, electricity and maintenance. (The loan amortization schedule shows a monthly payment of $2,250.)
Shallo affirmed in writing that the house was bought for Morataya to own, the complaint states. For instance, a June 2023 text message states that he “went out of his way to provide a loan to purchase your house,” and he did so as “a bonus I did for you to help improve the quality of your life+ur family. I don’t know anyone who did that for a person who works for them.”
Now, Morataya claims, Shallo is trying to displace her from the house.
An attempt to contact Shallo for his side of the story was unsuccessful.
According to the company’s operating agreement, all decisions and business conduct shall be made by a majority vote based on the members’ percentage interest. Shallo held a 96.6% interest and Morataya held 3.4%.
Morataya’s attorney, Christopher Garitee, of Cabanillas & Associates in White Plains, is asking the court to order Shallo to convey the property to her.
